Tears for the Loss
by xXFrostKittenXx
Summary: During his tag battle with Yugi during Battle City, Seto Kaiba fell through a glass roof. He thought he was dead for sure. Now he's stuck with this Raven kid, struggling to survive and understand. SKxOMC, T just to be safe, see inside for full summary, warnings, etc. (New Title! I thought it would fit the planned ending better)
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Kaiba fell through the glass roof during his tag battle with Yugi. He was certain he was a dead man. So how is he stuck with this Raven guy? What did he do to deserve this hell?! **

**Warnings: Tea-bashing, mild Yugi-bashing, slight AUness in the form of a twisted Battle City duel, SKxOMC, Legendary PKMN as deities, some slight OOC on Kaiba's part. No citrus, teams that may seem odd at first, some time travel/dimension hopping near the end. **

**Requests: Read and review, it feeds the muse! Read and review, it helps me improve! Read and review, because I have no beta and this helps me avoid the dreaded Mary Sue-ness that all characters are in danger of at some point.**

**A/N: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokémon. If I did, I would never have let the atrocities that are Klink, Klang, and Klinklang exist.**

Prologue

Raven Scottsdale, a seventeen-year-old coordinator and breeder, was walking through Petalburg Woods, his Ninetales leading the way with Will-o-Wisp, his Espeon guarding the rear, when the branches above and ahead of him cracked—as if something were falling through.

Cursing, he ducked and backed up. "Ninetales," he called softly. The white fox dashed to him, taking up a defensive position in front of her beloved trainer, Espeon jumping up beside her. It wasn't exactly what he had meant them to do, but at least they were out of the way of whatever was falling…

Probably a widow-maker. There were many in the woods. He had seen foolish trainers crushed under them because they weren't paying attention. He had seen Pokémon caught, too, and even though it was usually too late for them, he still tried to pull them free.

Something crunched sickeningly—flesh and bone meeting the earth. Had a branch hit someone? They crept forward, trying to stay as silent as possible. Ninetales and Espeon were more successful at it than Raven, though the teen had gotten pretty good at it over the years.

What they saw was a shock, to say the least.

There was, indeed, a person unconscious on the forest floor—a teen Raven's age, maybe a little older. He had brown hair and was wearing a white trench coat. He looked like he had been trampled by a Ryhorn—but there wasn't a branch in sight to have caused the damage.

Confused, Raven stopped. The only thing he could think of to explain this, was if someone had carried the man up—maybe on a Tropius—and dropped him. He shuddered at the thought.

The man groaned, immediately setting Ninetales and Espeon back on defensive. Raven glanced around quickly and stepped forward.

It wouldn't be long before darkness fell, but they weren't too far away from Rustboro. Making his decision, Raven slung the other teen's arm around his shoulders and heaved, trying to pull the other upright. Grunting, he managed to pick him up and drag him along the path a few steps.

With a growl, he paused. This wasn't going to work! The other teen was taller and heavier, and while Raven was certainly fit from his travels, he couldn't seem to quite manage it. Not for the two miles between there and Rustboro Pokémon Center.

Ninetales, seeming to realize this, padded up to her wonderful trainer and nudged one of the PokeBalls on his belt, freeing one of her teammates—and rivals for his attention.

The freed light took the form of a white, almost angelic-looking Pokémon. "Tooogekiss!"

"Togekiss!" The Pokemon turned, alarmed at the sight of his trainer almost falling over under the weight of this other human, and soared over, grasping the stranger by his trench coat and giving his master a boost. Raven grit his teeth, heaved, and started forward once more. Ninetales and Espeon hurriedly took their places, Ninetales creating light with Will-o-Wisp.

Step by step, moving as slow as a Slugma, the odd group made their way to the edge of the forest.

oO000Oo

Seto Kaiba woke up with a splitting headache, coupled with the distinct feeling of being hit by a truck.

The yellow walls of the room he was in didn't help matters much.

Growling, he started to sit up—only to wince as his ribs protested. Damn, how had he ended up like this? Last thing he remembered was falling through the glass roof of that building he and Yugi were dueling on, against those two goons of Marik's. He had been terrified—not for himself, but for his little brother, Mokuba, who would have to manage the company now—and had wished desperately that he could have another chance…

Had he survived?

"Oh, you're awake!" A bright, cheerful voice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up, slightly taken aback that his nurse (doctor?) had pink hair. Focused entirely on healing her patients, cheerful to a fault, it was like seeing an adult version of Tea. Except Tea wouldn't dye her hair pink.

Would she?

"I'm Nurse Joy, and you are very lucky Raven happened to find you when he did…" And Nurse Joy proceeded to lecture him on the dangers of traveling without a "Pokémon," whatever that was.

At least she wasn't spouting friendship speeches at him.

At least it wasn't Yugi lecturing him for the umpteenth time on the Heart of the Cards.

_But there's no Mokuba either,_ a voice—his voice—whispered_. I've abandoned him, because of one foolish move. I could have taken another speech, a lecture, a thousand defeats! Because Mokuba was worth it…_

And suddenly, he wanted to cry. His nose was slightly stuffed, his chest felt heavy, he even felt tears starting to form. But he fought them back, refusing to show weakness to a stranger, some goody-two-shoes nurse who was _getting on his nerves!_

He tuned her out, stuffing his grief and pain into a box labeled Do Not Go There (created by his hateful stepfather), and swung his legs around to plant his feet on the ground, ignoring Nurse Joy's gasp of shock and her scolding tone. He needed to get out of bed, because he needed to distract himself from his emotions and the best way to do that was to find out where, exactly, he was, and couldn't do that if he was lying around all day, now could he?

That she put a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to lie back down without using actual force, was both amusing and irritating. He pushed past her anyway.

Thankfully, even though someone had taken off his trench coat and shirt, folding them and placing them on an empty chair, they had left him with his pants. He shrugged his shirt on and slung his coat over his shoulder; it was too warm to put it on right now. Then he left the room, leaving the protesting nurse behind him, turned left, and stalked down the hall, giving his best impression of "I Own the World" that he could muster.

Somehow, he managed to find his way outside, drawing the stares of the others who were waiting in the front, though they didn't stare for long; he assumed that this was some kind of hospital, so they must have been waiting for news of loved ones.

That was more important than some stranger with a bad attitude.

Outside, the sun shone brilliantly. The Do Not Go There box rattled at the sheer contrast of the weather against his emotions. A bright blue sky accentuated by a few fluffy white clouds, sunshine, the perfect temperature, a small but clean city with cheerful people walking up and down the streets…

It was sickening.

The only one who didn't seem to blend into and belong to this image was a dark haired teen who was so concentrated on the map he was holding that he couldn't help but stand out from the crowd around him. Where everyone else was cheery, always moving or talking or something, he was still, sober—

—and was standing next to the weirdest creature he had ever seen.

oO000Oo

**A/N: Well, here's as good a place to stop as any. Including the bits at the top, and the stuff here at the bottom, I've written 1300+ words! **

**My goal with this story is to surpass 1k words per chapter, while giving some insight into Kaiba's character that isn't purely "I have money, I don't believe in magic no matter how blatant it is, and I'm an untouchable, arrogant douche bag" (pardon my language).**

**So yes, Kaiba will be OOC, because he will be showing a different side than what's presented to the public. But since he's the main character, I figured he should have some depth.**

**Also, I decided to do a YGO/PKMN X-Over that wasn't a Meta-Cross like my other.**

**Again, please R&R, because I don't have a beta to deflate my ego. Plus, I will give you cookies :d **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter One

Kaiba leaned back against the stone ledge, the warm, bubbly hot spring easing away the aches and pains of travel. Next to him, Seabiscuit, his Horsea, was splashing and rolling around. Across from him, Raven had closed his eyes and leaned back against Milotic.

They were in Lavaridge Town, snatching a moment of peace in an insane world, hoping like hell Team Magma didn't find them here and knowing that they were probably nearby and closing fast. But for now, they didn't have to worry about it.

Finally, after spending almost twenty minutes soaking in the delicious heat, Raven stood, turned, and heaved himself out of the spring, water cascading down his lower body. Milotic made an enquiring noise at him, but when he didn't reach for her PokeBall, she sank further into the water, deciding that she wasn't expected to get out just yet.

Kaiba didn't follow, preferring to stay with his companion rather than leave him unattended. Then he turned to watch the rest of their teams play in the sand.

Thunder, his Jolteon, was lying in a tangled heap with Espeon, with Ninetales resting nearby. Togekiss and Beautifly were teasing Lopunny into a game of tag. The Pokémon were taking the opportunity for some downtime, as well, then; that made him glad, because they had worked hard over the last six weeks.

Finally, Kaiba decided to leave the spring as well; they had spent enough time lounging. They needed to get back home to Fortree City without being spotted by Team Magma so they could get ready to head to Verdanturf Town; Thunder was facing his first contest there.

"Ready?" Kaiba looked up, startled; Raven almost never spoke, so when he did, it was always a bit of a shock. But he nodded sharply and followed his friend over to where they had stashed their stuff. Once they had dressed and retrieved their backpacks, they started recalling their Pokémon.

With the exception of Ninetales. The white fox trotted up to them as they were unlocking their bikes in front of the Pokémon Center.

"Ninetales wants to run," Raven said simply, just as Kaiba opened his mouth. He smiled.

"Of course she does. She hates small spaces. Kind of like you," Kaiba teased gently, pulling a shy grin from the other young man.

Suddenly, Raven pedaled away, his face a study in mischief, Ninetales right behind him. He cast a quick look behind him, as if to ask, "What are you waiting for?"

Kaiba blinked, a little surprised. Then Thunder burst back out of his PokeBall.

"Eon," the electric type barked, taking off and using Quick Attack to catch up. Kaiba snorted and chased after them.

oO000Oo

By the next afternoon, they were passing the Weather Institute and were almost home. Suddenly, without any clear reason why, Raven turned off the main path and paused next to the river.

Kaiba stopped with him, not really questioning it; Raven had made a few unexpected stops in the past, always with good reason. Sometimes, it was to find a Pokémon he felt would be a good addition to his team; other times, he simply needed to take a breath and think something through.

And other times, like now, he seemed to have an almost psychic connection with his Pokémon that allowed him to know when a good time was to let his team interact with their former wild friends. He watched, mystified, as Raven freed Milotic into the river where it pooled into almost a lake and sat heavily on the dirt, leaning against the earthen ledge behind him while the Tender Pokémon dove underneath the gentle waves. There was a melancholy look on his face as the young man stared into the blue depths.

Kaiba sat next to him. "What's up?" he asked, staring at his friend intently. Raven seemed to be deep in thought, maybe remembering something that brought bad thoughts to his head; the former CEO had seen that look before, and it never led to anything good.

"Nothing," was the eventual answer. Kaiba sat back with a sigh. He could never get a straight answer…maybe they just needed to get home and find a new project. There was that girl that had been on Raven's case for weeks to allow their Ninetales to breed, maybe should grab her, it would definitely be a distraction…

"Miiii!"

Raven jumped to his feet, looking around wildly. Where was his Milotic?

"There!" Kaiba leapt forward, Raven not far behind, as they spotted a trainer directing a Machamp to drag the Milotic out of the water, the poor water-type entangled in a fishing net.

"Let her go!" Raven took a running start, smashing his fist into the trainer's—no, poacher's—face.

That was the one thing Kaiba liked about Raven: even though he was shy and silent, just as bad as Tea for a friendship spiel on some days, he wasn't a pacifist. If you came after him or one of his friends, he didn't hesitate.

"Thunder, Quick Attack!" Kaiba shouted. "Raven, back up!"

The other teen wisely decided to get out of the way, though he was far from done. "Espeon, Swift!"

The poacher yelped as he was hit with the double attack—and his Machamp dropped the net, freeing Milotic, in order to protect its trainer. The Tender Pokémon shook the netting off.

"What kind of cheap trick is that?" the poacher yelled angrily. "I saw it first, it's mine!"

"Milotic belongs to me," Raven snarled. "I caused her, I raised her, we earned contest ribbons together! You're nothing but a poacher, a thief! Espeon, Swift!"

It was a deliberately narrow miss, but it was enough to give the trainer something to think about.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get! Machamp, Cross Chop," the trainer barked.

"Espeon, dodge and Psychic!"

Machamp bellowed in pain as the telekinetic attack struck it. While the stranger yammered orders at it, which it desperately tried to follow, Espeon was dodging and setting up for the next attack. Even though the Psychic-type wasn't quite strong enough to take it out with a single hit, she still managed it fairly quickly.

The trainer growled as he recalled the Fighting-type. He backed up a couple steps, as if to show he wasn't willing to go another round.

"Espeon, stop!" The Psychic-type halted in her tracks. Raven turned his attention back to the poacher. "Do you know how long I can get you put away for," he screamed. Then he was off, ranting away about what, exactly, he was going to do to him and just how painful it would be, and if that man ever so much as looked at his Milotic again he was going to—

—and Kaiba promptly tuned out, more than content to let Raven tear into the guy. He hadn't gotten involved—it was Raven's Milotic, so Raven's fight—and he was happy it worked out, but he had heard this spiel before during that run-in with Team Magma, so he didn't want to hear it again.

"Can it, kid," the other man barked. "I didn't realize it was yours, this doesn't have to go any further!"

"Oh, please," Kaiba sneered, finally breaking into the condversation. "He caught and raised Milotic himself. You can't catch Milotic in the wild! You have to feed a Feebas a very specific diet to get it to evolve." Who did he think he was kidding? That was basic information, for Christ's sake!

"What's going on out here?"

The trainer growled; some of the workers at the Weather Institute had noticed the commotion and come to see what was going on.

"Raven, Kaiba, it's good to see you aga—hey, I know you!" The worker, a lab assistant, pointed at the other trainer. "You're that poacher Officer Jenny put out an APB on." He snapped his fingers. "Jordan Rivers, I think."

The trainer—now identified as Rivers—laughed nervously. "I think you're mistaken." He took a step back.

"Now you hold it right there—"

Rivers took off, running as if being chased by the hounds of Hell.

One of the staff swore and ran after him.

"Stay here, I think May wants to see you before she gets going—Jacobs, wait up!"

"Rains, hey—!" Kaiba swore as the lab assistant took off. Damn it, why was that guy always in such a rush? It had gotten them all in trouble the last time Magma attacked.

"May?" Kaiba turned to see a disgruntled look on Raven's face; they hadn't gotten along the last time the three had met. Well, more specifically, Raven hadn't liked May, but May had just _loved_ them.

"I'll keep her distracted, don't worry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Some May-bashing. Also, yes I am using the original outfit for May. It's how she's best known.**

Chapter Two

"Raven! Seto!" Both men stiffened instinctively at the high-pitched squeal for much the same reason: it was the precursor to _run!_ instinct they both got around the fangirls. But before they could, they were embraced by a brunette in red.

"Hello, May," Kaiba greeted, deftly slipping out of her grip. Raven, who hadn't yet mastered that particular art, shot him a desperate look. Kaiba rolled his eyes; he needed to learn how to do that himself. "What are you doing around here?" He kept a straight face even as Raven tried—and failed, to slip away.

"Oh, you know, just some contest training." She waved one hand, somehow managing to keep the other wrapped around Raven.

"How's Max?"

"He's starting his journey next week, isn't that great?"

"Wonderful," Kaiba muttered sarcastically. He had never met Max, but all he could imagine was a mini, male version of the girl in front of them.

Somehow, May missed the sarcasm. "It is, isn't it? He wants to take the League Challenge. I told him I'd come home to watch him get his first Pokémon and walk with him to the next town."

"Does he know what he's getting yet?"

May pursed her lips. "No. There was an incident, you see, with the breeders who give Professor Birch the starting Pokémon. Someone broke in and stole all the eggs, and frightened the hatched ones so much they all scattered. They're hoping to gather them all up soon, but Max might not get one of the traditional starters." She released Raven, thinking about all the poor baby Pokémon. "I can't believe someone would be so cruel!"

Kaiba, however, could. "So if he doesn't get a traditional starter, what will he get?"

"A friend of my mom's breeds Skitty, and there's a breeder in Fortree who breeds Vulpix. Actually, that's part of the reason I'm up here training instead of at Slateport."

"Really?" It was Raven's turn to speak, as he all but hid behind Kaiba. "Why so?"

"Well, she hasn't signed up yet, but Prof. Birch asked me to carry the message. Problem is, I don't know who this breeder is; she's pretty much an unknown."

"She?" Raven frowned, trying to think. There was that girl who had just moved to Fortree, she was always after him to allow their Ninetales to breed, but he didn't think she was a commercial breeder. He was even gladder he had turned her down.

"Well, I guess it could be a guy," May said thoughtfully. "Like I said, this person's really new on the scene. But most breeders are girls, aren't they, so it's probably a girl."

"I wonder…" Raven said thoughtfully.

"You thinking it might be her?" Kaiba asked, thinking of the Ninetales trainer.

"Yeah, maybe. But she only has the one male. How could she be a Vulpix breeder?"

"Maybe someone screwed up their information. She also has an Absol, I happen to know that one's female."

May snorted. "No one in their right mind would breed Absol commercially."

"Why not?" Kaiba demanded.

"Because they're considered bad luck. They're said to bring disaster upon any area they're spotted in." May shrugged. "Completely untrue, but most people don't want to hear that. It's easier to blame a Pokémon than to say Mother Nature is being fickle."

"Well if it's not her, than who is it? The only other breeder just starting out is—is—" Kaiba looked over at Raven. "You don't think they're talking about you, are they?

"Raven, you're a breeder?" May exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so?"

"I'm still getting my feet," Raven admitted uncomfortably. "There aren't any local mentors, I've had to travel to get the information I need. You can't breed while you're travelling."

"That's true enough, I guess." May sighed. "I don't suppose I could convince you to sign up for the program? They're not looking for any spectacular breeders, you know. Just someone who's willing to help out. And the League will compensate you."

Raven bit his lip. "I never planned on breeding Vulpix commercially, you know. I'm not even sure how that rumor got started."

"Well, you won't be, in a sense," Kaiba pointed out. "You would be a League breeder, and breed only for Prof. Birch until they can re-establish the starter breeders."

"I guess—sure." Raven shot a grin at Kaiba. "You do realize this means we have to go back to Mt. Pyre, right?"

Kaiba groaned. Of all the places for a Vulpix to be…

But there wasn't any other place, for some reason. And Raven couldn't very well breed Vulpix with only one Ninetales.

"Great, we can stop off at Lilycove before we come back to Fortree. They have Firestones there, if you want to evolve any of the new Vulpix you catch." May pulled out her cell phone. "I'll call Prof. Birch and let him know what's going on, okay? So he knows not to worry."

"Hey, May, tell him we need to stop at Fortree first, we need to resupply."

"Sure Seto, no problem. I'll see if they've found any other breeders to help out as well." May scrolled through her contacts and pressed a button. "Hey, Prof. Birch, it's May!" she exclaimed after a moment. "I just found that breeder, and he's agreed to help out…"

oO000Oo

By the time the three of them arrived in Fortree, the sun was setting once again. But they were home, and wouldn't need to spend another night out in the woods, sleeping on the ground.

That was the one thing Kaiba always hated about the method of travel in this place, sleeping on the ground. In another time, he would have bitched about it and kept marching through the night to get to a decent place to sleep, but now he just accepted it as the tradeoff.

The tradeoff for such an active, fun lifestyle. Not carefree, not by a long shot—but still fun.

But tonight he slept in a bed. His own bed, too, not one of the cots in the Pokémon Center.

"Raven Scottsdale!"

And there went his happy thoughts.

A blonde-haired young woman with brown eyes came stomping up to him, a Ninetales with a blue bandanna tied around his neck trotting at her side.

Carol and her Ninetales. Wonderful. He wondered when that loud mouth was going to show up, but had somehow figured she would leave them be until tomorrow, when they had better control of their tempers.

But apparently not.

Raven growled. "What do you want, Carol?"

"You've been avoiding me," she whined. "We were supposed to breed our Ninetales, and then you left!"

"Jesus, woman, Raven never said he would," Kaiba snarled. "That was all in your head! Now go home."

"But—"

"No buts, Carol." Raven heaved a long-suffering sigh. "We never had an agreement, and you don't have your Ninetales tested anyway. Good night." He brushed past her, Kaiba and May trailing behind.

"What's up with her?" May frowned.

"She wants to breed our Ninetales together. I have no idea why, though. She moved into Fortree about a year ago and hasn't shut up about it since." The stopped in front of the Pokémon Center. "Are you staying here, May, or do you want to spend the night with us?"

"You guys share a place?" May looked quizzically from Raven to Kaiba.

Raven shrugged nonchalantly. "It's easier to manage the rent with two than one."

Yeah, way easier, Kaiba thought tiredly. Back home, he would have had the funds to just buy a place outright—

—he fought back the lump in his throat he got whenever he thought of home. Of Mokuba. Most of the time, he could keep his mind off it, but when it came up—

—but here, he was a trainer. A rather reluctant one who would barely scrape by if it weren't for Raven.

"That makes sense. Yeah, I'm just gonna sleep here for the night. See you guys in the morning!"

They waved and walked off as May stepped inside.

Inside their own treehouse, Raven was silent. "What's the matter?" Kaiba asked, setting his pack on the table and freeing Thunder. No reason the poor electric-type should stay cooped up unnecessarily.

"You think maybe I should take Carol up? Otherwise it's going to take a while to get started."

Kaiba swallowed a laugh. "Hell, no, I don't think you should take her up on her offer. She'll think you guys are a couple because you finally gave in. Besides, she may want to keep the egg. How are you going to make it work?"

"…tell her the League needs help?"

"And watch her try to play it up to get more than she should out of them?"

"Point. But it takes longer than a week to get to Mt. Pyre, plus to train them and evolve any who want it, and get them into pairs—it'll take months! I don't know how May expects us to pull this off. Do they really expect it to take that long to get the starter breeders back on their feet?"

"Maybe," Kaiba said slowly, staring out the window. A Wurmple was climbing up the tree bark, stopping to nibble on it every few seconds. By morning, it would probably be waiting on the windowsill, expecting the kind humans who were sometimes there to give it berries. "But I get the feeling there's something they're not telling us."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three

Kaiba was up early the next morning, though truth to tell, he wasn't sure if he had actually slept or not; his eyes had that sandpaper-y feeling of having been open for a long time, but there was a gigantic stretch of time he simply couldn't remember.

He crept into the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee and watching the sun rise out the east window. Their treehouse was a tiny thing at the top of a tall pine of some sort, one of the more expensive ones because of the clear view of the surrounding forest.

And there, sleeping on the windowsill in a semi-ball, was a Wurmple. The Wurmple. One he was coming to think of as "theirs" because it was always waiting for them when they came home and because it never let anyone else pet it or feed it. Really, he was half tempted to catch it and train it, wondering what it would evolve into, if it would at all.

But for now, he was content to let it be free. It was nice to think that there was a living being that looked forward to their return.

On that thought, he opened the little fridge and dug an Oran berry out of the vegetable crisper. The Wurmple somehow heard it open through the glass pane and uncurled itself, raising itself up a little in its eagerness. Kaiba opened the window and set the berry on the sill, watching the Pokémon start munching on it happily.

"You could catch it, you know."

Kaiba whirled, startled but not showing it any other way. Raven was standing in the doorway, watching the Wurmple eat absentmindedly.

"It likes you. It wouldn't fight you; it may even welcome it."

Kaiba looked away.

No, the Wurmple wouldn't object. But he would.

He wasn't the warmest person; the geek squad could attest to that. But he had always liked animals. He hated seeing any sort of cruelty done to them, and when he first arrived, he had refused to become a trainer because of it.

He no longer thought of training in such black-and-white terms, but he refused to take any more Pokémon than he could care for, and he wasn't sure he was ready for a third. Wurmple seemed to be doing alright in the wild; if he caught it, it would depend solely on him for everything.

There were days when he thought he was crazy to have the two he had now. There were days when he wondered how the hell Raven coped with six, caring for them all equally so they evolved, training them so they could survive any situation.

"So how are we going to pull this off?" Kaiba asked, not-so-subtly changing the subject.

Raven snorted, but let it stand. "What do you mean?"

"You have six Pokémon on you already. Won't the Vulpix you catch go to the storage system?"

Raven actually stopped to think about that one. He pursed his lips, staring off into the distance.

It was a good question; and unfortunately, he didn't know the answer. He hadn't thought to ask any other breeders how they kept their Pokémon from being sent to the storage system.

"May might know," he finally said.

"Think she'll be up this early?"

"We can wake her up."

oO000Oo

"Do you two have any idea what time it is," May grouched, tying her bandanna in place.

"…time to go?" Kaiba snickered.

"Raven, you're hopeless!"

"It's a long way to Lilycove. Besides, we wanted to ask you something."

"What's this 'we' thing?" Kaiba fixed him with a glare.

"…"

oO000Oo

The sun was halfway to its highest point, and the three of them were still silent.

"You can get your license at the contest hall in Lilycove," May said finally. "But you would have to open a special storage account since you don't have a lot of space in your treehouse."

"That's really all there is to it?" Kaiba asked in disbelief. There was no way it could be that simple…nothing was that simple, he had learned that by hanging around with the geek squad for so long.

May yawned, stretching. "You do have to take a written exam," she admitted, "but that shouldn't be a problem. Right, Raven?"

Raven nodded slowly.

"So, it comes down to a test." Kaiba shook his head. If he were in Domino City, said test would probably be complicated by some maniac trying to take over the world by gaining a breeder's license…somehow…

But then, everything in Domino City became a life-and-death situation. It was just the way things were.

"So, Mt. Pyre." May looked off in the graveyard's direction, even though it was hidden by distance. She gave Kaiba a sly glance. "You're not afraid of ghosts, are you?" she teased.

Kaiba snorted. "There's no such things as ghosts, May." No matter what anyone said about spirits and reincarnation. "There may be ghost-types, but no ghosts."

"While I was in Kanto, visiting Lavender Town, I was told there was the ghost of a Marowak haunting the tower, you know. I went up there and I could have sworn I saw one." May shuddered. "It was really creepy."

"You saw a ghost or a Marowak?" Raven glanced at her, confused.

"A ghost _of _a Marowak," May corrected. "It was see-through and everything!"

"…you mean 'transparent'?"

"Shut up, Seto," she snapped, glaring.

"Or what?" There was no way he was passing up the opportunity to wind her up, it was more fun than screwing with the Mutt's head.

"Please don't fight," Raven sighed. "It's annoying. And if that's all you guys are going to do for the entire trip, you can both go home!" He glared.

"Whatever," Kaiba muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Help me find some water? I want to let Milotic out."

"Sure, I bet Seabiscuit could use a swim, too."

"So why'd you name your Horsea 'Seabiscuit'?" May asked, freeing her Beautifly. "Beautifly, see if you can find some water!" The butterfly Pokémon flew off.

"Because he's small and fast, just like the original," Kaiba called back as he walked into the grass. If he recalled correctly, there was a small lake around here somewhere…

Just then, May came running by at a right angle to him, following her Beautifly. "I think we got something," she shouted. Kaiba blinked and stared after her for a second before chasing after.

Raven was already there, watching Milotic splash around in the water, since her swim the other day was cut short.

It was a beautiful spot; grass surrounded the area, and the sun was only partially blocked by clouds. Kaiba took a seat next to Raven.

"Seabiscuit, come on out!"

"Hooorsea!" The little blue sea horse stretched, then dove under and zipped away, before Kaiba could say anything else.

"Why don't we free the rest of our teams?" May suggested, already pulling out her PokeBalls. "They could use the play time, I'm sure."

Neither man responded; they simply started freeing their Pokémon, Raven grinning happily at their excited cries.

oO000Oo

It was a while later before Raven and Kaiba had some time to simply sit. The three of them had been watching their Pokémon play, keeping an eye out for trouble; no one wanted a repeat of Milotic's near-kidnapping. May had seemed determined to stay with them, though, chatting about past contests and friends, trying to draw Raven into the competition to the point where she was (almost) cutting Kaiba out of the conversation entirely.

Kaiba had kept his place in the talks only because Raven insisted on asking Kaiba's opinion on things, as well. Even though Kaiba would have been content to simply listen, Raven seemed to be determined to include him.

After about half an hour of this, May had announced that she was going for a swim before they had to leave again. "No peaking," she mock-scolded—mostly directing it at Raven.

Then, a few minutes later, she dove into the lake wearing a sky blue bikini.

Now, they watched her swim with Milotic and Seabiscuit, splashing the water types playfully before diving under the surface and coming up in a different spot. Most of her attention seemed to be on Milotic, and she kept glancing back at them, as if making sure they were watching.

And poor Raven seemed utterly confused by the whole display.

"Well, she's a_ bit_ more obvious than Carol, isn't she?" Kaiba asked, straight-faced. He almost couldn't contain himself.

Raven gave him a puzzled look. "Carol wants to breed our Ninetales."

Kaiba smirked, swallowing his laughter. "Carol wants to breed more than her Ninetales, Raven."

The other youth merely frowned, as if trying to think of what else—and abruptly paled at the thought.

For a moment, they were both completely silent. Kaiba was starting to wonder if he had broken his friend with that realization when—

"Can we move to Pacifidlog Town?"

oO000Oo

**A/N: Poor Raven. Now he wants to run away.**

**But you all get another update, so hopefully it's worth it! And I'd like to give a big thanks to jakefan for being my only reviewer—it's much appreciated, even if it is short…**

**And as I write this, I realize I have plot holes. Which I will edit to take care of soon, I promise. But probably not until after the main story's done.**


End file.
